1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in picture framing apparatus for displaying pictorial information, such as photographs, prints, paintings and the like. More particularly, it relates to improvements in picture frames of the type which, on command, play an audio message associated with the picture they display.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
For many years, people have toyed with the idea of incorporating audio systems in picture frames and the like for the purpose of providing the picture viewer with more than just visual gratification in seeing the picture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,191 discloses a picture frame in which a tape recorder has been mounted in the frame housing for reproducing, for example, "utterings" made by a person whose picture appears in the frame. Similar devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,541,188 and 5,359,374.
In "talking" picture frames of the type disclosed in the above patents, the audio system housed by the frame is commonly activated by a manual movement of an ON/OFF switch mounted on either the front or back side of the frame. In some cases, the location of the ON/OFF switch is not easily ascertained by the casual user or observer and, even when the switch location is learned, its location relative to the normal orientation of the frame (e.g. in the frame's lower right hand corner) will change as the owner changes the orientation of the frame, for example, from a "portrait" orientation, to a "landscape" orientation.
As an alternative to the manually movable ON/OFF switches used in the "talking" picture frames disclosed in the above patents, it is also known to use pressure- or touch-sensitive switches which are embodied in the frame structure. See, for example, the talking picture frames disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,748,756 and 5,182,872. While such switches avoid the "cluttered" appearance associated with manually operated push-buttons or knobs, they have a tendency to not always operate as intended. Moreover, the casual observer who is unfamiliar with the frame may not benefit from its audio feature unless instructed, for example, by a visual message on the frame, as to how it is operated (e.g., "Press Here for an Audio Message"). This is especially true where the incorporated audio system has been miniaturized to the point that it is barely, if at all, detectable by visual inspection. With the advent of microelectronics and integrated circuits, it is now possible to miniaturize a sound recording and playback system to the point that it is barely noticeable, even when packaged in a conventional appearing greeting card or the like. Such sound-producing greeting cards are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,299,041; 4,791,741; and 5,063,698. In such cards, the sound system comprises an electronic memory for storing an audio message (e.g., a voice or musical message) in digital form, a sound synthesizer, and a control circuit for applying the stored audio message to the synthesizer in response to the activation of a switch. Such a switch may take the form of a low profile push-button switch mounted beneath the front surface of the card, or may comprise an electronic switch having an actuator which is moved to a switch-closing position as the greeting card is opened up.